A New Divinity Is Coming And It Is Turn Based
Larian Studios has finally put one big debate to rest. After the grim reveal of the new Divinity game at The Game Awards, fans could not stop arguing about what kind of RPG it would be. Would it follow in the footsteps of Baldur's Gate 3 with turn based combat, or would it shift to a more action focused ARPG style?
In a post show interview with PC Gamer, Larian boss Swen Vincke gave a clear answer. The next Divinity will be a fully turn based RPG. That puts it in the same broad camp as Baldur's Gate 3 and the Divinity Original Sin games, but with its own fresh ruleset and mechanics.
Vincke stressed that this is not just a simple clone of Divinity Original Sin 2. Instead, it uses a completely new ruleset that builds on everything Larian has learned from its previous games. The goal is a system that is easy to pick up, tough to truly master, and full of creative ways to break the rules in your favor.
In other words, if you enjoy experimenting with builds, abusing elements, and setting up clever combos, this new Divinity is being built for you.
Familiar Party Play With A Fresh Ruleset
One of the first questions RPG fans had was about the party system. Would the new game stick to a small, tactical party like Baldur's Gate 3 and the Original Sin titles, or go in a different direction?
When asked whether Divinity would be turn based and have a similar party size to Baldur's Gate 3, Vincke said yes on both counts. He did not lock in a number, but given that Baldur's Gate 3 and both Original Sin games all use four active party members, four feels like the safe assumption.
What is still unknown is how party management will work outside of combat. Baldur's Gate 3 uses a camp system that lets you recruit more companions than you can actively bring with you, then swap them in and out around the campfire. Divinity Original Sin 2 had a more locked in approach where you were basically limited to the four characters in your party for the whole run.
We do not yet know whether the new Divinity will bring back a camp style hub like Baldur's Gate 3 or stick closer to Original Sin 2. That choice will have a big impact on how many companions you can collect and how flexible your team composition can be across a long playthrough.
What we do know is that under the hood, the rules are changing in meaningful ways. Vincke compared it to the jump from Original Sin to Original Sin 2. The core identity stays familiar, but the systems and mechanics get a serious evolution that should keep veteran players on their toes.
Key Combat And Progression Systems We Can Expect
While Larian has not laid out the full design document, the Original Sin games share several mechanical pillars that are very likely to show up again in the new Divinity. Based on the series history, here are the systems most likely to return.
- Environmental and elemental combos The Divinity series and Baldur's Gate 3 both lean hard into smart use of the battlefield. Expect to see systems where water, fire, electricity, poison, and other elements interact with each other and the environment. For example, rain or water puddles can boost lightning damage, oil can spread fire, and mist or blood can change how certain spells behave. For players, this means every fight is a mini puzzle, and positioning plus spell order can matter as much as raw stats.
- Classless character building Instead of locking you into a strict class from level one, Divinity games use starter archetypes as a launch pad. After that, you are free to mix and match abilities and attributes to build hybrids and weird edge case characters. If that philosophy returns, you will likely be able to turn a wizard into a sword swinging battle mage, or build a rogue that focuses on elemental traps rather than backstabs.
- Abilities bought and found, not just unlocked In Original Sin, new skills and spells are not strictly tied to hitting a level up screen. Instead, you often buy skill books from vendors or discover them in the world. That encourages exploration and shopping around rather than just grinding XP, and it rewards players who poke into every corner of the map.
- Action point based turns A big defining feature of Divinity combat is its action point system. Instead of a fixed separation between actions and bonus actions, every move costs a certain number of points. You can spend those points however you like, including saving some for future turns. This style allows a lot of tactical creativity, since you can choose between many small actions or one huge play, depending on your build and your situation.
- Scaled and randomized loot Original Sin games rely heavily on randomized, level scaled gear. You do not usually carry the same weapon from the start all the way to the end like you might in Baldur's Gate 3 with a legendary sword or bow. Instead, weapons and armor keep getting stronger as enemies scale up, and you regularly swap gear to keep up with the curve. This specific system is the least certain to return unchanged, since it has big implications for progression, crafting, and build identity.
Vincke summed it up by saying the new ruleset is designed to let you do fantastic things. You will be able to chain abilities, environmental effects, and party synergies to pull off wild combos and shenanigans, but it will take some learning and experimentation to truly master.
For PC gamers, that is an exciting mix. A turn based structure with party tactics, sandbox combat, and deep build crafting is exactly what made Divinity Original Sin 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 modern classics. With Larian now applying all of that experience to a brand new Divinity ruleset, this next entry is shaping up to be one of the most interesting upcoming RPGs on PC.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/divinity-will-be-turn-based-with-a-new-ruleset/
